Hello. My father owns a small hot sauce startup. After dealing with printer companies who enjoy causing us to buy tons of XL tanks that never seem to last at all we decided for the sake of not losing hundreds a month to look into CIS systems. Currently there was none available for our HP Envy, so after doing some research we purchased a Canon IP3600 along with your CIS kit for it a few months ago.

Firstly, the various installation how-to's seem to vary a bit, especially when it comes to clips to use and such compared to what exactly comes with our kit from your company. So ultimately we went with one of your Youtube videos. Went through the installation fairly easily, though we did have to shoot from the hip when it came to using the clip(s) that came with the kit which ended up being completely different from the video and install pdf's oddly enough. We had some air in the lines and followed the Youtube video on how to prep the lines to get the air out. After that, made sure the tanks were level with the printer and printed. Everything seemed to work super nice...at least so we thought.

Today, we had to do a print run of some labels, but noticed while the print started nicely halfway down the first label all the way down the page the labels were printing worse and worse. First label was half color and half messed up. And after that, each label seemed less colorful or printing from only some colors. Basically, it looked as if your cartridge was going empty--which is odd since this is a CIS.

So we checked the cartridges and sure enough, they were all bone dry. Basically put, the CIS failed to work, which stumped us. So probably from day one, it wasn't even using the CIS if it went bone dry?

I'm pretty lost here. We followed the directions--using first the original cartridge, then when the kit came we switched to the ones provided by the kit we were given. Installed it per video instructional guide, prepped the lines to get any air bubbles out, etc. Seemed to print fine at first.

Now mind you, this is not a printer that is used daily. Only used for label print runs, and then turned off until the next time which can be a few weeks or a month at a time. Even then, I don't see how or why the actual tanks went completely desert-bone dry on us instead of having the CIS actually do what it's suppose to and keep ink going through and stopping that from happening. Especially from not being used. I don't use my Envy daily and it doesn't do that. So why would my Canon with a CIS system do it?

Even more odd, is the ink levels via the Canon software showed all tanks as completely filled?!?!

I don't understand what's going on, and surely hope to find some sort of resolution. It is certainly stressful knowing you paid for and installed a CIS that is not actually working as you thought it was or should, causing you to lose money on wasted expensive bottle label sheets. So I mean no ill-will towards the company or saying the product is not good. It's just right now--for me--it's apparently not working for us and we don't understand why let alone how to fix it--if it's even able to be fixed.

Thanks,

John F.

[UPDATE]:While in a bit of frustration on finding out the CIS wasn't feeding the cartridges/tanks in the printer allowing them to get bone dry, my father sort of flooded them and the printer by holding the CIS tanks above the printer. Unbelievably stupid to end up having done, but funny enough it get ink into the cartridges again to resume somewhat normal printing again. Still with that said, it doesn't make sense why the tanks/cartridges in the printer are getting bone dry in the first place. Really stumped as to what is going on.

I have run into this problem before and it could be 1 of 2 things causing. Either the ink is being blocked from freely flowing into the cartridge due to a clog in the CISS or it could simply be that the system might need to primed.

More than likely, it'll need to be primed. So take a look at the following YouTube video and this should help a low.

Since my first posting, things improved a tiny bit for some time. However, today I've begun experiencing a new issue that I hope someone could help figure out. I was doing some label prints today which had a green background. 3 sheets printed just fine, then suddenly the printer decided to start printing it in mostly orange. I did the Cannon regular head cleaning and also the deep cleaning options. I pumped the ink feeding lines to make sure if it was some air in the lines or if some other colors were a bit dry. I tried printing on plain paper and every time usually would print the first page fine, and then when I load up the expensive glassy paper in for professional labeling of bottles, it decided to go back to orange. I had this back and forth war about 8 times and it keeps doing it. It's getting me to the point of developing a severe eye-twitch and can't for the life of me figure out what's going on.

Could this be a CIS issue or a printer head issue do you think? I even tried printing other pictures that are very green and it had no issues, but then when I went to print the labels it acted up again. What's even more mind-boggling is that I use the exact same software and settings I always have done and never had issues until today. I swear either my printer or the CIS needs an exorcist at this point, haha.